Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1440471
4 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW // VOL. 2022 NO. 1 DENTAL PROFESSIONALS Revenue cycle bootcamp for dental professionals coming in January By Ariana Portalatin G ental insurance billing platform Zentist and Apex Reimbursement Specialists are collaborating on ways to help DSOs boost revenue, cut operating expenses and make timely collections, Zentist said Nov. 17. Zentist is organizing a training event for revenue cycle management professionals that will be taught by industry ex- perts, including Harold Gornbein, co-founder of Apex Reimbursement Specialists. The event will be in January at a location not yet determined by Zentist, according to Vivi Li, growth marketing manag- er at Zentist. n 5 best paying states for dental hygienists — Alaska is No. 1 By Gabrielle Masson O n average, Alaska is the highest-paying state for dental hygienists. Information was taken from the Bureau of Labor Sta- tistics and represents national data as of May 2020. Nation- ally, dental hygienists make around $77,090 on average per year, or $37.06 per hour. Five top-paying states for dental hygienists: 1. Alaska Hourly mean wage: $55.31 Annual mean wage: $115,050 2. California Hourly mean wage: $52.87 Annual mean wage: $109,970 3. Washington Hourly mean wage: $45.89 Annual mean wage: $95,450 4. District of Columbia Hourly mean wage: $45.50 Annual mean wage: $94,650 5. Nevada Hourly mean wage: $42.96 Annual mean wage: $89,360 n White House invests $1.5B to help healthcare provider, dental shortages By Gabrielle Masson T he Biden administration is investing $1.5 billion from the COVID-19 aid package to address healthcare workforce shortages — including dentists — in under- served communities, according to a Nov. 22 White House news release. The U.S. is projected to face a shortage of almost 60,000 primary care physicians, dentists and psychiatrists over the next 10 years and needs an estimated 158,000 new nurses to graduate annually for the rest of the decade to meet demand. A significant barrier to meeting these needs is the student debt associated with graduate health education, which can prevent students from underserved communities from even considering a healthcare career. The funding, provided through the American Rescue Plan, will support more than 22,700 providers, including phy- sicians, nurses and dentists. The funding will go to the National Health Service Corps, Nurse Corps, and Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery programs, which address workforce shortages by providing scholarship and loan repayment funding for healthcare students if they agree to work in high-risk and underserved communities. The Biden administration also plans to award $330 million in funding for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program. The additional funding will further sup- port the expansion of the dental workforce in underserved communities through local residency programs. n